the fanboys are assembled......i do like being able to trade games, but they like bleed the money from us with there 10 doller online pass, but thats not with all developers (but it will grow though)...when was the last pc exclusive game..other then ''error 37''... hard reset?

Hell I bought Mass Effect 2 and 3 for the PS3, when my computer is much more powerful, simply because Bioware is an ass that doesn't let you use a controller on the PC. And odds are I'm going to have to play Dragon Age 3 on my PS3 for the very same reason.

Well, the reason for that isn't lack of support, its the interface in the game. I've got all three ME games on PC and Xbox360, trust me, the difference in the interface layout is like night and day. Same goes for Dragon Age II.

xshadowscreamx:the fanboys are assembled......i do like being able to trade games, but they like bleed the money from us with there 10 doller online pass, but thats not with all developers (but it will grow though)...when was the last pc exclusive game..other then ''error 37''... hard reset?

PC's usually has more exclusives then consoles do. PC had almost 3 times the amount of exclusives then the 360 and about as much as the PS3 last year.

That would be the case if the minimum system requirements for Skyrim didn't require a Dual Core 2.0 GHz processor. Unfortunately I'm not to savvy with graphics cards so I really don't have a good idea on how either of those would stack up. Also keep in mind that I was buying for a laptop (I'm sorry, I don't think I mentioned this in my first post) and I was buying it a year ago. The cheapest I could find then that could run it on minimum settings were in the $1200 range.

My system cost me a total of $800, monitor included, it was built two years ago, it runs Skyrim on Ultra at 60fps. Your argument is invalid.

*Sigh* No it isn't. I didn't say it wasn't possible, I said I wasn't able to. This was my first time buying a computer, as I mentioned before it was a laptop. And during the two week period I watched the site, Newegg didn't have ANY Laptops under $1200 that would be able to play it. If I was looking in the wrong places, which I doubt as I've heard people recommend Newegg quite often, then I guess that was my fault. It doesn't change the fact that I wasn't able to find one under that price last year.

That because you where trying to buy a gaming laptop. Never buy pre built computers especially gaming laptops.

And no putting a computer together your self is not hard, If you have enough brains to assemble a lego kit you can assemble a PC.

seriously why does it seem the only people against PC gaming, are the people who absolutely know nothing about PC gaming.

Hell I bought Mass Effect 2 and 3 for the PS3, when my computer is much more powerful, simply because Bioware is an ass that doesn't let you use a controller on the PC. And odds are I'm going to have to play Dragon Age 3 on my PS3 for the very same reason.

The larger problem evident here, is that you keep giving money to EA for some reason.

OT: I know for a fact my PC will last longer than a console generation and still kick ass. Sure, it cost a shitload more than RRODbox or the other singularly useless device, but you do end up getting what you pay for.

Oh also I can run Skyrim on surround with ultra settings without my rig having a seizure.

That because you where trying to buy a gaming laptop. Never buy pre built computers especially gaming laptops.

And no putting a computer together your self is not hard, If you have enough brains to assemble a lego kit you can assemble a PC.

seriously why does it seem the only people against PC gaming, are the people who absolutely know nothing about PC gaming.

I have to disagree with you on this. Are you implying that if I were to buy all the parts and give them to a non-tech savvy person, they would be able to build it for me? (hint: They actually can't).

The problem with people new to the PC gaming I find, is not the building of the PC, but the wiring of it. Specifically, the power supply wiring is the biggest challenge to new PC builders.

Does your power supply have enough power?What do you do with the extra wires?What kind of connector do you have?Is your power supply a single rail or multi-rail?Can your single rail power your motherboard and graphics card?Can your multi-rail?How much power does your graphic card need?

The above is just some of the problems JUST for the power supply which doesn't even account for the different motherboards for AMD and Intel processors (some people really don't know there is a difference), it does not count for motherboard size in comparison to case size, and most importantly, one can fry an entire system or ruin a motherboard just from the wrong wiring with a power supply (too much power, wrong place, wrong pin etc.)

You get the idea I hope, comparing building a PC to legos is laughable. If you know what you are doing before hand, either research or read, a PC is much better than a console. However, as information in the manuals that come with the parts are sometimes just crap, as was the case for me, a console does not have to worry about any of the above.

£50 to £100 to be honest. PC tech tends to drop in price very quickly.

My PC has a Pentium-D processor, 3gb of some generic brand RAM and a GeForce 8600GTS. I also run the same copy of Windows XP that I got back when it was released, I have had to call up Microsoft to get it activated though. The technology in my PC is around the same age as that in the Xbox 360.

Yet it is still capable of playing the latest games at settings that are as good as, or in some cases better, than what my Xbox 360 gives me.

I still use my Xbox 360 a lot but it now tends to be more as a media streamer than for games, it and my PC seem to have swapped duties.

With Internet Explorer coming to the 360 in the next big update the 360 will be little more than a small form media PC. Heck I'll even likely be able to do general office work on it by visiting Skydrive and using the online versions of Microsoft Office, remember that the 360 supports USB keyboards for text input.

So in essence my 360 will be a PC I'm forbidden to upgrade or maintain myself under pain of losing access to the online services.

thanatos388:Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

You are so right!

That's why there's only ever been one console ever made. And it's also why new versions of existing consoles never come out! Because they're so wonderful that they just never go out of date, and they never have to be replaced or upgraded to a new version! That's why you can go out and buy brand new games and just pop them right into your NES.

But hey, even console hardware gets old, right? And you don't want the hassle of buying a new computer that may not run your games. But that's the best part about consoles: even if you buy a new console, no matter what kind of console it is, all of your old console games will still work on it just fine!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab my copy of Perfect Dark for the N64 and stick it into my Wii. I can't wait to play! :D

DingoDoom:I have to disagree with you on this. Are you implying that if I were to buy all the parts and give them to a non-tech savvy person, they would be able to build it for me? (hint: They actually can't).

Uh, assuming you bought them all the parts? Yes, yes they can. There's tutorials all over the internet, especially on YouTube (some of which are pretty great quality, showing you step by step what to do and precisely which parts go where).

I myself am living proof of this. I'd never built a computer or taken one apart in my entire life, but my old computer was dying and I needed a new computer, and my friends assured me that it would be cheapest to build my own. A friend of mine helped pick out the parts to order, and with their encouragement, I looked up some tutorials and I built it. It's the computer I'm using right now in fact. And it runs fine, never had any complications. It was really much simpler than the days when I played with my Legos, because everything had a very clearly indicated place on the motherboard and was shaped uniquely enough that I knew where to pop the parts in, and precisely which way to pop them in.

So unless your "non-tech savvy person" is too stupid to click the play button on a YouTube video, yeah, they can probably put the basic parts of a computer together. It's just not as dramatically hard as you're making it out to be any more. If you're throwing together something complex (liquid cooled or whatnot), then yes that takes some experience, but most basic gaming rigs (such as the one I'm using now) can be built with little to no experience in computer building at all.

Not much to talk about reallyBoth sides of this non existent debate think the other side are retarded scum of the earth types that have bad taste in video gamesThe only real losers here are the ones going NOOOOO CONSOLES SHALL NEVER DIE and the rest will just move with the times like always

meganmeave:Look, I enjoy PC gaming from time to time, but to say you can't think of anything that makes consoles better than PCs in any way? How about the fact that when I install a $50 game on my PC, it more often then not requires me to spend 1-3 hours getting the damn thing to run on my stupid PC because whatever they used doesn't conform to my sound/video/processor of choice.

Because of the boring conformity, at least I know my games will be compatible with my 360 or PS3. And yes, I love mods, but I can at least see this as being a benefit to boring old console gaming.

1-3 hours trying to get it to run??? Did you buy a factory standard comp or did you build one yourself? If you built it yourself, you should have the knowledge to easily reconfigure your settings.

Or just google your problem and find the answer on a message board from people with similar problems within the page.

I seriously do not understand how that sort of problem could take any more than 15 minutes.

I would love to switch to pc gaming but my I still have two main problems that prevent me from doing it. I could never really get use to using a keyboard as a controller and I just can't afford a new computer.

thanatos388:Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

You are so right!

That's why there's only ever been one console ever made. And it's also why new versions of existing consoles never come out! Because they're so wonderful that they just never go out of date, and they never have to be replaced or upgraded to a new version! That's why you can go out and buy brand new games and just pop them right into your NES.

But hey, even console hardware gets old, right? And you don't want the hassle of buying a new computer that may not run your games. But that's the best part about consoles: even if you buy a new console, no matter what kind of console it is, all of your old console games will still work on it just fine!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab my copy of Perfect Dark for the N64 and stick it into my Wii. I can't wait to play! :D

DingoDoom:I have to disagree with you on this. Are you implying that if I were to buy all the parts and give them to a non-tech savvy person, they would be able to build it for me? (hint: They actually can't).

Uh, assuming you bought them all the parts? Yes, yes they can. There's tutorials all over the internet, especially on YouTube (some of which are pretty great quality, showing you step by step what to do and precisely which parts go where).

I myself am living proof of this. I'd never built a computer or taken one apart in my entire life, but my old computer was dying and I needed a new computer, and my friends assured me that it would be cheapest to build my own. A friend of mine helped pick out the parts to order, and with their encouragement, I looked up some tutorials and I built it. It's the computer I'm using right now in fact. And it runs fine, never had any complications. It was really much simpler than the days when I played with my Legos, because everything had a very clearly indicated place on the motherboard and was shaped uniquely enough that I knew where to pop the parts in, and precisely which way to pop them in.

So unless your "non-tech savvy person" is too stupid to click the play button on a YouTube video, yeah, they can probably put the basic parts of a computer together. It's just not as dramatically hard as you're making it out to be any more. If you're throwing together something complex (liquid cooled or whatnot), then yes that takes some experience, but most basic gaming rigs (such as the one I'm using now) can be built with little to no experience in computer building at all.

I'm disagreeing with the comparison to legos and building a PC. Besides the point, youtubing a guide isn't the first option everybody goes to (I asked my friend) and without those guides, with JUST the manuals supplied, you will be lost which is why I'm saying that the advantage is towards consoles if someone doesn't know what they're doing.

Again, I don't think assembling the pieces are hard at all, it is the wiring that gets annoying for beginners. I don't know what newer computers are like, but it is very possible to fry your graphics card/motherboard outright if you have a inadequate power supply. I would also like to point out that unless you are using the EXACT parts on a youtube tutorial, there will be some things that can be fairly different, namely the biggest one is the single rail PSU vs multi-rail.

I'm disagreeing with the comparison to legos and building a PC. Besides the point, youtubing a guide isn't the first option everybody goes to (I asked my friend) and without those guides, with JUST the manuals supplied, you will be lost which is why I'm saying that the advantage is towards consoles if someone doesn't know what they're doing.

Again, I don't think assembling the pieces are hard at all, it is the wiring that gets annoying for beginners. I don't know what newer computers are like, but it is very possible to fry your graphics card/motherboard outright if you have a inadequate power supply. I would also like to point out that unless you are using the EXACT parts on a youtube tutorial, there will be some things that can be fairly different, namely the biggest one is the single rail PSU vs multi-rail.

I built my first PC about 15 years ago with no guides at all, just the instruction manuals.

Even the wiring isn't hard as each connector will only fit certain things. You mention the PSU, well with all the ones I've ever fitted they will only go in one way, you'd have to take a hammer to them to make them fit incorrectly.

There is risk of course but I found that the skills I learned and the satisfaction I got more than made up for that.

How often do you upgrade your PC? Do you buy the highest spec PC available and make it last? Me personally, I purchase a mid-range laptop/PC and accept that it won't be up to much gaming. Then again, I'm a very casual gamer and often play them on the easiest difficulty...

That's the beauty of PC gaming, even a low midrange one with a $160 AMD 6870 can game amazingly well, it'll play all titles out.

Especailly if you use a res of 1080 or lower, that'll allow you to use High and sometimes Ultra settings without dipping close to or below 30 FPS.

I understand a lot of the opinions here that many are also afraid of the whole assembly thing.Although I see it all as Lego, I taught my GF to asseble her pc in 30 minutes.All the parts you order have dettailed illustrated instructions and the internet and youtube is there for anyone to use.

Also shopping around for parts makes things a lott cheaper. I myself listed a PC from the UK that would be able to play all games out there and it was under £700.

I'm disagreeing with the comparison to legos and building a PC. Besides the point, youtubing a guide isn't the first option everybody goes to (I asked my friend) and without those guides, with JUST the manuals supplied, you will be lost which is why I'm saying that the advantage is towards consoles if someone doesn't know what they're doing.

Again, I don't think assembling the pieces are hard at all, it is the wiring that gets annoying for beginners. I don't know what newer computers are like, but it is very possible to fry your graphics card/motherboard outright if you have a inadequate power supply. I would also like to point out that unless you are using the EXACT parts on a youtube tutorial, there will be some things that can be fairly different, namely the biggest one is the single rail PSU vs multi-rail.

Now people saying they get lost with youtube instructions and the manuals, well I for one Have to questions their reading comprehension here.My first pc was a bunch of parts my old man got me at 12 and said "here's your PC, put it together". The manuals show exactly what you have to do, step by step.

votemarvel:To be honest Senarrius I always recommend people drop detail before resolution.

For me there is little point in having all this great graphical frippy on if it looks as if you are viewing it through a light layer of grease.

I agree myself, but many people I know switching from console to PC gaming or do both usually use their TV's a monitors.

Those are always 720 or 1080, if so it means the longevity of the systems is going to be even longer.

Out of all the people I know I'm the only one with a monitor over 1080, it being at 2560x1440.Personally I can't stand the terrible quality of TV's for gaming, let alone using one as a monitor for work.

I don't get some of the people in this threadWhy would pcs have any difficulty running games that are also on the xbox at all?The most average of computers now have the hardware to kick the ass of what's in your xbox.

Building your own computer is just the cheapest way to get one, and you can replace the old parts with new ones, one piece at a time. Not that you have to do so often once you match whats in the consoles which really isn't difficult. All the games produced from the next console gen onwards will have their maximum capabilities determined by those consoles and within a year components for pcs that are not only better but also cheaper will have come out.Hell with the money the ps3 originally cost you could have bought a really decent pc with a blue ray player.

Some games are better with console gamepads but that doesn't really matter since even the wii controller can be used with a PC. So there is no reason whatsoever why PCs can't outclass consoles at absolutely everything. I guess publishers just enjoy charging you more money in order to buy their overpriced consoles in order to fund their bloated advertising campaigns. I bought my xbox for little over the price of a new game because lets face it the games are worth playing even if they decided to limit themselves to a piss weak platform.

Commented earlier but having watched the video now again I see Jims point. The thing is, as a console gamer I don't feel like Im being treated badly. Companies make games, I think they look good or are a fan already and I buy them. Game companies can do whatever the fuck they want with their games and its no skin off my back if it has day 1 DLC because again its their game. This attitude however was born of a love of games since I was young. I didn't care how expensive, extortionare or bullshit things get I will play my console and the next gen one after that. Where I live somebody converted to PC gaming and became a social pariah...yeah.

I do game on my PC from time to time but only games I know will never be released on console that I NEED to play. Dawn of War 2 for example. Steam is meh and I forgot my password so I hav't touched it in months. Engrossed in the Witcher 2 on my 360 at the moment.

In short I don't feel the need to complain about what latest bull dev companies pull. I notice things wrong with he industry and the direction it is going due to these decisions but it largely doesn't hamper my gaming experience. As soon as games become a more expensive hobby than 40k then i'll start complaining.

I think people are misunderstanding what Jim is saying. Hes saying that consoles have BECOME like crap PCs. I know many people who have played on consoles form previous generations are getting their jimmies rustled but if you actually look at the state of the current HD consoles all you see are the disadvantages that used to be confined to the PC.

I'm aware people have an in-built aversion to acknowledging PC gaming and i hate to sound like a bit of a douche but 90% of console gamers don't have a clue what PC gaming is actually like. If you had an overview of both you would be more able to see Jim's point.

Magmarock:I couldn't agree more. With consoles like the N64 and PS1 as well as the Sega Genesis and Super NES each system looked and sounded different while having a different feel about them. Now they are all the same. Cheap computers in cheaper cases.

I remember a very amusing PC Format article nearly a decade ago about how to destroy your current computer and make it more like the recently released Xbox ( original ). Even then they were lacking compared to a modest PC.

My last console was the PS2 and I break it out only when the GF and I feel the need for some old school DOA and Soul Calibre.

Other than that, she has a €450 laptop for some games and I have my work/study/gaming system.

The two most expensive PC parts I had ever bought in my life (Graphics card GTX 680 and Hazro 27" IPS LED monitor) will last me years and thanks to amazing 3-5 year warranties will easily last until the system actually needs to be replaced.

The rest of my system was under 700, and thanks to the CPU's built in GPU even if the GTX 680 dies I can easily continue to work as I wait for the RMA process to get done.

Yes true that. I haven't bothered with pcs in a while in that i never used one myself and was turned off by friends. As they enjoy telling me of all the wonderful prices they paid to find out some game of theirs was in compatible. If its easier now, or my friends just didn't know what they were doing then fine. At least this has given me hope that i wont have to spend an outrageous amount of money to see sony rip me off again with broken games. Or the projected 800 dollar price tag.

It was actually released in March, currently the desktop cards available are the GTX 690,680 and 670, and there's also the Mobile variants such as the 650m in the current Macbooks and other gaming systems.

The lower end and more mid range cards are expected shortly

Once again making a mid range pc easily availbale to those that are willing to take even an hour to read a bit about how to assemble one :)There's also AMD's 7xxx series, which as everything from low/mid to high end released already.

I have to admit the fact that peoplle find PC's so expsive boggles me. Does no one save up money anymore? Hell I paid for my monitor which was just over €500 by saving up coins at college last year, along with throwing in the odd €5 note weekly. I just chucked in all the change I had at the end of a week, and anything under 50 cent was instant in the coin tub.

it's really not that hard, and if you don't need or want a 27" IPS LED monitor for €500 you're only €200 off a Midrange gaming system that'll last you quite a long time.

Why I have always used PCs:Anything a console can do, it can do - and probably better.More reliabilityFor me it is cheaper overall [I buy about 50 games each cycle, and that adds up to $500 more I'd pay for using a console]Much faster loading timesMuch better graphicsMuch less lagMore variety of gamesAbility to fix problems developers are too lazy toMods

At the start of each console cycle, I can kinda see where some people are coming from in buying a console: Familiarity, cheaper for them and they don't have to have a basic knowledge of how to use a screwdriver.

As the cycles go on though, I have to agree with Jim. I've seen a lot of comments in previous discussions like this: "I know when I put a disk in, its going to work", "PCs crash and have errors all the time. Consoles don't and are more reliable", "I don't have to put up with bull**** DRM".This has changed over time.Skyrim for PS3 anyone? For a lot of people, when they put it in their console, it didn't just work.RROD anyone? Killed your Xbox, and you couldn't do anything about it because you weren't able to open it up and toy around trying to fix it.Online passes anyone? They've hit console games too. Not quite DRM level, but we aren't the only ones getting ripped off in that department.

With the reducing prices of PC parts, what will have to be increasing prices for consoles and the loss of key console features - I'm not seeing there being any advantages to consoles after another couple of generations.Will they die out? Probably not, same as PC hasn't died out 30 years after people announced its funeral.Will it be as popular? Again, probably not.For the home entertainment system I'm seeing that swapping over to I-pads and tablets as they are currently part fad and part useful, becoming powerful enough to play most basic games and versatile enough to do a fair bit of stuff, small enough to be more portable than a console and they come without the need for peripherals like a TV, monitor, M&K, Controller or anything else.I'm not sure what place consoles will hold then, and I don't really think its possible to know. If consoles don't play to their strong points though, I'm seeing more than a few people switch away from them. Only time will tell what the future holds though.

Hell, you can even get them for around $300. Not sure about 27" [Haven't checked size], but 2560*1440, LED, S-IPS. Everything about PC gaming is becoming cheaper all the time - if you know where to look.

Hell, you can even get them for around $300. Not sure about 27" [Haven't checked size], but 2560*1440, LED, S-IPS. Everything about PC gaming is becoming cheaper all the time - if you know where to look.

Very very true, every year things get cheaper and cheaper and performance goes up. :D

Hell I bought Mass Effect 2 and 3 for the PS3, when my computer is much more powerful, simply because Bioware is an ass that doesn't let you use a controller on the PC. And odds are I'm going to have to play Dragon Age 3 on my PS3 for the very same reason.

meganmeave:Look, I enjoy PC gaming from time to time, but to say you can't think of anything that makes consoles better than PCs in any way? How about the fact that when I install a $50 game on my PC, it more often then not requires me to spend 1-3 hours getting the damn thing to run on my stupid PC because whatever they used doesn't conform to my sound/video/processor of choice.

Because of the boring conformity, at least I know my games will be compatible with my 360 or PS3. And yes, I love mods, but I can at least see this as being a benefit to boring old console gaming.

People keep saying stuff like this, but it's either total crap or I'm the luckiest man alive, because I've not had a single issue with a game on any of my PCs which wasn't solved in the time it took to download a patch or update my graphics card drivers(hint: that isn't a long time at all).

A solid 80% of the issues people have with PC gaming are severe cases of PEBKAC.

meganmeave:Look, I enjoy PC gaming from time to time, but to say you can't think of anything that makes consoles better than PCs in any way? How about the fact that when I install a $50 game on my PC, it more often then not requires me to spend 1-3 hours getting the damn thing to run on my stupid PC because whatever they used doesn't conform to my sound/video/processor of choice.

Because of the boring conformity, at least I know my games will be compatible with my 360 or PS3. And yes, I love mods, but I can at least see this as being a benefit to boring old console gaming.

People keep saying stuff like this, but it's either total crap or I'm the luckiest man alive, because I've not had a single issue with a game on any of my PCs which wasn't solved in the time it took to download a patch or update my graphics card drivers(hint: that isn't a long time at all).

A solid 80% of the issues people have with PC gaming are severe cases of PEBKAC.

I gotta back this up. Even when I have to update drivers or download patches, I typically find it much easier and quicker to do on a PC. The age of buying an XBOX game, popping it in and playing immediately are long gone.

DingoDoom:I'm disagreeing with the comparison to legos and building a PC. Besides the point, youtubing a guide isn't the first option everybody goes to (I asked my friend) and without those guides, with JUST the manuals supplied, you will be lost which is why I'm saying that the advantage is towards consoles if someone doesn't know what they're doing.

That's....kind of their own fault then, isn't it? How often do you jump into projects you've never done without a guide or tutorial to help walk you through it?

As stated prior: Unless the person is too dumb to hit the Play button on a YouTube video, they should be able to get access to plenty of good tutorials to walk them through the process. It's just not nearly as hard as you're making it sound.

Again, I don't think assembling the pieces are hard at all, it is the wiring that gets annoying for beginners. I don't know what newer computers are like, but it is very possible to fry your graphics card/motherboard outright if you have a inadequate power supply.

Which is a problem that would never occur in your proposed scenario of "here's the parts, build it", because you said that someone picked all the parts for them. Unless the person who picked the parts is ALSO an idiot, that shouldn't happen.

I would also like to point out that unless you are using the EXACT parts on a youtube tutorial, there will be some things that can be fairly different, namely the biggest one is the single rail PSU vs multi-rail.

Which was covered by my last paragraph: if you're building something complicated, that will probably require more experience....but simple builds are simple enough that anyone could do them.

thanatos388:Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

First, PCs don't require upgrades to play new games unless you have really old hardware. (Remember that you don't have to have the settings on maximum). Secondly, I hope you meant $1500, rigs that can handle current gen at max and most future games at pretty close to max are around this range. You can go higher of course but there's no point if you are just playing games.

On topic, that'd be because consoles are essentially crappy PCs (the 360 has practically all the hardware (with the exception of a unified shading architecture*), of a 2007ish desktop), more so than in older generations. I didn't agree with the first few points, but overall I enjoyed it and some good points were made.

For me, the one big advantage console gaming gives me, it the ability to just login and play. I used to do a lot more PC gaming than I do now and, admittedly, I often think about going back but every time I hit the same bloody login issue.

It all began with Battlefield 2142, probably the first game I clocked over 100 hours online on. I stopped playing for a few months and when I went back EA had switched the login method for the game and suggested that I switch over to the new way when I tried to log in. After attempting to do so it informed me that my account had already been automatically switched over. I tried logging in a few times with no success, so I contacted EA about it and got little more than conformation that the account existed in the new format and that I should reset the password to gain access (something I'd already tried only to be told that there was no account attached to the email even though I know I used it and any attempt to create a new account was greeted with a message saying that that email was already in use.)

Then, just a few weeks ago, I decided to go back and play a bit of WoW. After downloading a 10GB thing that I didn't pay much attention to, I was once more informed of a new login system, so I went about creating an account and attempted to attach my old WoW account to it, again to no avail. Oddly enough, if I run WoW I can use my old login before getting a prompt to attach it to the other account. Again that account is stuck in limbo at the moment because of stupid login changes.

Further to that annoyance, I decided that I needed my MMORPG fix and tried to go back to Guild Wars to find my account had been blocked and could only be restored once I provided the codes for all the expansions that I had attached to the account.

These experiences have really clouded my view of PC gaming. At least if I turn on my PS3 I can access my games, my Netflix, Music Unlimited, PlayStation Home or whatever without any issues.

P.S. I'm just posting this as a personal perspective and not claiming it's a rampant issue.

thanatos388:Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

You are so right!

That's why there's only ever been one console ever made. And it's also why new versions of existing consoles never come out! Because they're so wonderful that they just never go out of date, and they never have to be replaced or upgraded to a new version! That's why you can go out and buy brand new games and just pop them right into your NES.

But hey, even console hardware gets old, right? And you don't want the hassle of buying a new computer that may not run your games. But that's the best part about consoles: even if you buy a new console, no matter what kind of console it is, all of your old console games will still work on it just fine!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab my copy of Perfect Dark for the N64 and stick it into my Wii. I can't wait to play! :D

DingoDoom:I have to disagree with you on this. Are you implying that if I were to buy all the parts and give them to a non-tech savvy person, they would be able to build it for me? (hint: They actually can't).

Uh, assuming you bought them all the parts? Yes, yes they can. There's tutorials all over the internet, especially on YouTube (some of which are pretty great quality, showing you step by step what to do and precisely which parts go where).

I myself am living proof of this. I'd never built a computer or taken one apart in my entire life, but my old computer was dying and I needed a new computer, and my friends assured me that it would be cheapest to build my own. A friend of mine helped pick out the parts to order, and with their encouragement, I looked up some tutorials and I built it. It's the computer I'm using right now in fact. And it runs fine, never had any complications. It was really much simpler than the days when I played with my Legos, because everything had a very clearly indicated place on the motherboard and was shaped uniquely enough that I knew where to pop the parts in, and precisely which way to pop them in.

So unless your "non-tech savvy person" is too stupid to click the play button on a YouTube video, yeah, they can probably put the basic parts of a computer together. It's just not as dramatically hard as you're making it out to be any more. If you're throwing together something complex (liquid cooled or whatnot), then yes that takes some experience, but most basic gaming rigs (such as the one I'm using now) can be built with little to no experience in computer building at all.

I'm disagreeing with the comparison to legos and building a PC. Besides the point, youtubing a guide isn't the first option everybody goes to (I asked my friend) and without those guides, with JUST the manuals supplied, you will be lost which is why I'm saying that the advantage is towards consoles if someone doesn't know what they're doing.

Again, I don't think assembling the pieces are hard at all, it is the wiring that gets annoying for beginners. I don't know what newer computers are like, but it is very possible to fry your graphics card/motherboard outright if you have a inadequate power supply. I would also like to point out that unless you are using the EXACT parts on a youtube tutorial, there will be some things that can be fairly different, namely the biggest one is the single rail PSU vs multi-rail.

I tend to get tired of tech savvy people trying to speak for the "non-tech savvy people". My father knew nothing about computers and was mostly a construction/car guy but wanted to try computers one day because one of his friends told him how cool they are. He knew nothing about them and I gave him all the parts and the motherboard manual that comes with it, which actually tells you with diagrams where every piece goes. It took him about 2 hours to get it going his first time and 2 years later hes a bigger Tech Nerd than I am.

Now I know this doesn't account for every single person in the world but really we shouldn't be making excuses for the lazy. Anyone with a working brain and a little time can assemble a computer if they are under 55 years.